Aria pov
"Like you," a small smile crossed Damien's face. "You were always asking questions."
"Don't," I stepped back. "Don't act like you know me. You never bothered to try."
"I know," his smile faded immediately. "That's my biggest regret. I had you in my life and I wasted it. I was too cold, too damaged, too"
"Stop making excuses," I cut him off. "Take responsibility."
"You're right." He straightened, squaring his shoulders. "I was a coward. I pushed you away because I was scared—of feeling, of caring, of becoming my father."
"Your father?" I frowned, caught off guard.
"Richard Blackwood," his voice turned bitter. "A man who believed love was weakness, who beat emotions out of me until I forgot how to feel anything at all."
"That's not an excuse," I said quietly.
"I'm not using it as one." He looked at me directly. "I'm explaining why I was so broken, but breaking doesn't excuse the damage I caused. It just explains it."
